


Casualties

by Shadowbeast123



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: Character Death, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:00:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25883239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowbeast123/pseuds/Shadowbeast123
Summary: It wasn't much of a secret that people died on the train from time to time...Grace just wished that Simon wasn't one of those people.
Relationships: Grace/Simon (Infinity Train)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so...Meant to post this before the season dropped. Didn't do that...And then I watched the first five episodes, and am now in the process of editing this thing. So...Yeah. Have fun.

Pain. That's the first thing Simon registers as he wakes up. Just hot, searing pain all throughout his shoulders and back, with it being especially bad at the lower right hand side of his ribcage, and just seemed to get worse every time he tried to move to get out from under the chunk of wall that was holding him down to the floor of the train car as he watched Grace propel herself across the car with her grappling sticks. Sliding to a stop in front of him on her knees with a smirk, and a casual 'Hey' as she moved the wall off of him, and helped him up. A pained grimace catching in his throat as he brought his hand up to hold his side.

"I think I bruised a rib," he said, hoping Grace was convinced by the lie. Because he didn't want her worrying about him over his ribs being broken.

"Don't worry, I got you," she said, draping his arm around her shoulders, and wrapping one of her gloved arms around his waist as he tried not to let his pain show on his face as she looked for a way out. Spotting the wide open door at the far end of the sailing car that was behind strips of black and yellow construction tape, and aiming her grappling stick at the door. "Alright Simon, hang on tight."

"You sure you can carry us both?" he asked, seeing her look down at him with a teasing smirk.

"Wanna find out?" she said, making him give her the same teasing smirk as she pressed the button on the stick, and fired the harpoon end of their main mode of transportation besides the train out the door, and onto a different car. The two of them falling to the ground, and sailing across the floor of the car until they were flying out the door; the cords on her sticks snapping as they soared through the air, and sending Grace crashing into the bridge as he slipped out from her grasp, and fell towards the wheels; barely having enough time to fire his grappling stick to pull himself back up as he felt the wheel catch on his boot, and send another jolt of pain up his leg as he sailed back up towards Grace, and landed in front of her. Not really bothering to hold back the pained cry this time as she knelt down, and immediately checked on his foot. The crimson from his blood staining the tan faux leather material, with his shoes sending short bursts of electricity through the broken circuits that once let him run up a wall with ease.

"Fuck..." he groaned, leaning his head back in a mix of exhaustion, and an effort to not look at his torn up foot as Grace got his shoe off, and reached into the fanny pack on her hip to try and find something to stop the bleeding. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said, finding a roll of bandages, and pulling them out as he grimaced, and tried to find something to distract himself from the pain. "And you owe a new raid mask. And a harpoon pack."

"Yours is broken?" he asked, seeing her rip off his other pant leg so she had something to stop the bleeding besides the roll of gauze he was likely going to bleed straight through.

"Beyond broken," she said as she wrapped his foot. "Think you can track down the rest of the Apex?"

"Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute," he grimaced, sitting up slightly, and pulling his number tracker out of his pocket to see where the rest of the Apex was as she tossed her harpoon pack to the side since she didn't need it anymore.

"I don't get it," she said. "The cars aren't supposed to move when there's people in them."

"Well, you know who can do that," he said, pulling himself up to his feet, and pressing most of his weight against the bars on the side of the bridge so he wouldn't have to put any weight on his injured foot.

"That horrible little robot," she sneered as he scrolled through the cars to try and find the rest of their group.

"I think the false conductor just made his first move," he said.

"You think he attacked us?"

"Wouldn't put it past him," he said, finally finding the blinking red dots of the rest of the Apex. "Good news, they're here...And we're here. Forty-seven cars away."

"Hey, can't be all bad," she said, elbowing him on the arm playfully as she walked past him. "It'll be just like old times. Just you and me."

"Yeah, easy for you to say," he said, trying to hobble along after her as she turned around, and came back to help him.

"Come on, tough guy," she said, draping his arm over her shoulder again to help carry him along as the door to the next car opened.


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright, Simon. Easy," Grace instructed, sitting Simon down on a log next to the glowing sticks in their makeshift firepit in the train's Jungle Car, and kneeling down again to change his bandages and get another look at his foot. "How're you holding up?"

"Been better," he said, his voice weak and almost exhausted while also holding a note of frustration, since he wasn't usually one to sit things out as he turned his attention towards the glowing sticks in the fire pit to try and distract himself from the pain that was radiating up his leg. "Did we have marshmallows?"

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, holding back a smile and a laugh as she looked up at him. "This is where you want to redeem your loss at chubby bunny? Right here?"

"I maintain that I'm still the champion," he said, trying to keep the mood light as she looked back down at his foot. "They didn't fly out until after I said it. Still counts."

Hearing a crash from off in the distance, Grace and Simon both turned their heads in the direction of the noise, and looked out into the darkness of the forest; the glowing lizards that were suspended above them chirping loudly as Grace got up and went to check it out.

"See anything?" he asked.

"Something just broke the trap," she said, coming back over to him, and quickly ripping off a piece of her shirt, and using it to pack the wound on Simon's foot before rewrapping it, and straightening up again. "You going to be okay here for a minute while I check it out?"

"Not like I have anywhere else to go," he said, seeing her disappear into the forest to see what had broken their trap before he let out a sharp cough into the palm of his hand. A metallic taste taking over his tongue as he pulled his hand away, and saw a familiar splash of diluted crimson across his palm. "Damn."

Reaching into the fanny pack on his hip to search for a tissue so he could wipe off his hand, Simon heard something rustle around up in the tree behind him, and looked up to see if he could find what it was; only to see a giant hand reach down and grab him by the front of his shirt. A frightened yelp escaping his lips almost on instinct as he was yanked up back into the tree just as Grace was coming back.

"Simon?" she called out, looking around to try and find out where he had gone off to since she knew he didn't just get up and walk away, and absentmindedly backing up towards a bush that held an iridescent glow where the hand was reaching out for her. "Simon, where are you? Make some noise so I can try to follow. Simon! Simon!"

Feeling something wrap around her arms, Grace gasped as she was pulled backwards into the bush. Closing her eyes tightly to avoid getting scratched by the brush, and letting out a startled cry as she was thrown carelessly to the side, and landed roughly beside Simon. The last thing registering in her brain as she passed out being a child's laugh before everything went dark.

* * *

_**-Sometime Later-** _

Grace wasn't too sure what was going on when she woke up. All she knew was that she wasn't at the campsite anymore, which was enough to make her sit up with a startled gasp as Simon stirred, and sat up as well with a low groan; his middle and index fingers pressing up against his temple before he saw where they were, and let out a shaking breath as he looked around. His hand running over four deep gashes that were in the dirt beside him as he and Grace looked at each other; the two of them sharing the same thought that they had to leave before a loud thud grabbed their attention. The ground shaking underneath them as whatever had dragged them here drew closer until the silhouette of a gorilla towered over them, and a child's voice spoke up.

"As punishment for being sneaky. The trespassers are given as food to the mighty Tuba!"

"No!" Grace shrieked, instinctively flinching as she saw the gorilla reach out for her and Simon, only to quickly feel the large furry fingers start tickling her. Making her and Simon start laughing, and begging for Tuba to stop between giggles before it pulled away, and let out a contented sigh. A small child with light brown skin, and long, wild blond hair stepping out from behind the gorilla with a smile on her face as they sat back up.

"Oh no! Please! Hahaha! Oh no!" she mocked, leaning up against Tuba to laugh before turning back to them. "That's you two. That's what you two sound like."

"I thought you said there weren't any passengers for at least forty-seven cars," Grace said, looking over at Simon as the child continued to laugh with her null companion.

"I don't know. That's what the number tracker said," he said, seeing Grace get up out of the nest to talk to them, and turn back to give him a hand.

"Uh...Hi, over there," she said, helping Simon out of the nest, and grabbing the child's attention as she set him down.

"We're with the Apex," Simon said, seeing the child tilt her head in confusion as he looked to Grace, and saw her give him the 'go ahead' nod to start his speech. "You might have heard of us. See this wave symbol? We want to make sure you're getting everything you're entitled to from the train."

"Hmm," the child hummed, holding a hand to her chin in thought as she looked at them skeptically.

"As a passenger, the true conductor gives us-" he continued, only to get cut off by the child blowing a raspberry at him, and breaking into another fit of giggles with Tuba as Grace tried to hold back her own chuckle, and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smirk as he sighed. "You aren't getting this. You see-"

Taking a step towards the child, Simon flinched as Tuba leapt forward, and roared in his face. Stepping back onto his injured foot, and falling back onto his butt with a grimace as Tuba grabbed a rock on the ground, and raised it over its head.

"No!" the child shouted, getting Tuba to look down at her as she hugged her leg. "You said we don't hit."

Hearing Tuba let out a sigh, and seeing her lower her rock, Simon let out a sigh of relief, and quickly put on a more stern expression when Grace appeared in front of him to give him a hand up, and rested him up against the nest. Hearing her let out a sly chuckle as she placed a hand on his shoulder, and turned back towards them.

"Sorry, he can get a little excited," she said, kneeling down in front of the child so she was eye level with her while Tuba towered over them. "My name's Grace, and Simon's my friend. What's your friend's name?"

"This is Tuba," the child said, looking up at the giant gorilla with a smile bright enough that Simon could have sworn it lit up the room as she leaned in to whisper to Grace. "She's kind of shy."

"That's okay. I can get shy too," Grace said, putting up a hand to greet the giant ape with a wave. "Hi Tuba."

"Hello," Tuba spoke, her tone low and slow while she looked rather indifferent to the two of them.

"And what's your name?"

"Hazel," the child said.

"That's a pretty name, Hazel," Grace complimented as Simon looked back over at Tuba to try and be intimidating, although Tuba clearly had him beat as Grace stood up. "I'm looking for passengers to help. That's what I do. Do you mind if I talk to Hazel alone? Just for a little bit."

"Mm, I should stay," Tuba stated, sounding skeptical to leave the small child with the two teens.

"Tuba, I'll be okay. I promise," Hazel assured, seeing her gorilla companion look back over at the two before turning away.

"I will be over here," she said, going over to a pile of pineapples a few feet away, and picking one up to eat half of it in one giant bite. "Eating a pineapple."

"Thank you, Hazel," Grace said, kneeling back down to her level as Simon sat down against the nest so he wasn't standing on his bad foot. "You want to see something cool?"

Seeing Grace move her glove down to show Hazel her number, Simon felt the corner of his mouth twitch up into a small smile as he saw Hazel's face light up in awe and wonder at the green glow. Feeling slightly jealous at Grace's talent with dealing with younger children before he was brought back to the brutal reality that he was injured when his foot tave off another twinge of pain.

"This is my number," she said, pulling her sleeve back up. "Do you have a number?"

"I do!" Hazel said, holding out her palm to show Grace her number. But from where he was sitting, Simon could tell that something wasn't right as Grace's face went from a calm and welcoming expression to something more confused, and intrigued. "But yours glows."

"Simon, come take a look at this," Grace said, making him get up and hobble his way over to them to see what was going on, and biting down on the inside of his cheek to try not to wince every time his foot twinged in pain, or sprayed more blood out onto his bandages to see that Hazel's number wasn't glowing.

"That's probably why she didn't scan," he said, shifting his weight again as Grace looked over at him to make sure he wasn't going to topple over. "The fake conductor was trying to hide her from us. Turning off her number. We need to get her back to the Apex right away."

"What's a con-conductor?" Hazel asked, making sure the words sounded right as she looked up at them.

"Well, that's what I was trying to tell you about before," Simon quipped as Grace put up a hand to shut him up.

"Let's just focus on numbers," she said. "We all have them. Me, you, and Simon. But, yours should be glowing. Like mine, see? Hmm, how could we fix...Oh, I know. You could come back with us. That way, we can teach you all about numbers. Maybe we can get yours to glow like mine does."

"Cool," Hazel said.

"Plus, you get to meet a bunch of other cool kids," she said, trying to sell the deal even further as Hazel's face lit up.

"Wha? Wait. Am I a kid!?" she called back towards Tuba, seeing the horn carrying ape take another large bite out of another pineapple, and give a nod as she pumped a fist in victory. "Yes! I'll tell Tuba to pack up!"

"Tuba can't come with," Simon said, seeing Hazel stop, and turn back to look at them.

"What?"

"You can't-"

"What he's trying to say is that numbers are for passengers," Grace said, putting on a fake smile as Simon shifted his weight again to try not to put too much pressure on his foot. "This kind of stuff doesn't affect her. Tuba probably wants to stay in this Jungle Car."

"Don't be daft! I'm not leaving Tuba," Hazel said, putting on a grumpy pout as Simon hobbled forward, and put a hand on Grace's shoulder to get her to turn towards him.

"We can't bring that null back to the Apex," he said.

"Ugh, okay. Do you think we can just grab Hazel, and run past that thing?" she asked, making him turn back to see Tuba bite another pineapple in half, a groan of both disgust and hesitance leaving his mouth as he watched the juice from the fruit dribble own onto the dirt, and turned his attention back to Grace when she grabbed him by the shoulders. "Okay Simon, listen. We'll take them both for now, and once we wean Hazel off of it, we'll ditch the null before we get back home. Besides, you can't exactly walk on that foot very well, so we don't have that many options."

"Fine," he huffed, looking away from her with a disgruntled pout as she turned back to Hazel.

"Hazel! I had to give Simon a talking to. He was a little confused. Of course we want both of you to come with."

"But you're the one who said-"

"That was Simon, and he was confused," she said, kneeling down in front of her again to get on her level, and putting a hand on her shoulder. "But now I fixed it, and we're all going to the Apex together. Isn't that exciting?"

Hearing Hazel let out an excited squeal, Simon watched as she ran back to Tuba; trying not to give much of a reaction to her calling him 'That guy' as Grace came back over to him.

"I hope you know what you're doing here," he said as Tuba started packing up rocks into her bag.

"Have I ever been wrong before?" she asked.

"More than I'd like to admit," he quipped, seeing her hold a hand to her chest in mock offense before she gave him a warm smile, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders so he had something to lean on.

"Come on," she said, helping him along as Tuba and Hazel followed after them.


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on, Simon. Hurry up," Hazel called, running up ahead of him and Grace with Tuba in the Underwater Car, as he hobbled along after her on the pair of makeshift crutches Grace had fashioned together so he wasn't leaning up against her the entire time. But despite the makeshift walking sticks, he was still stopping every five minutes to either rub at his aching ribcage, or stifle a cough so Grace wouldn't hear him. Subtly spitting out whatever blood made its way across his tongue, and making sure to bury the scarlet splotched tissues deep into his pack so Grace wouldn't see.

Seeing a bubbled shell float towards him as he stopped to take a break, and not have the crutch digging into his ribs, Simon reached his hand out in curiosity to see if the null within would be useful to them. Seeing the bubble pop as soon as his fingertips brushed across the delicate surface, only for the shell to suddenly grow teeth and try to take a bite of him if he hadn't withdrew his hand at the sight of the teeth. Grace laughing at the startled yelp that came out of his mouth as he readjusted his crutches, and instinctively held onto his hand as she came over to him.

"Rookie move, buddy," she said, making let out a chuckle as he tried to look proud despite his injuries.

"Whatever. Battle scars give a man character," he said, adjusting his stance, and looking over towards Hazel when he heard her giggling. Seeing Tuba lifting her up, and placing her on a piece of kelp as he turned his attention back to Grace. "So when are we taking out that null?"

"Well, it's big, and would put up a serious fight," she said, rubbing her chin in thought as she tried to think of a way to separate Hazel and Tuba before they got back to the Mall. "And we could lose Hazel if we attack it. She's too attached. Besides, when you first got on the train with that null of yours-"

"Please don't bring that up," he said, looking away so Grace wouldn't see the pain in his eyes since she knew bringing up his former companion only brought up bad memories.

"Anyway," she said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly before putting a hand on his shoulder. "Brute force can get so boring. Am I right? We got time."

Feeling a smirk start to creep up the side of his mouth, Simon gave Grace a nod, and followed after her; letting out another harsh cough into is hand, and seeing Grace look back at him because he hadn't tried to stifle it, and the pained groan he let out a moment later wasn't exactly much of an indicator that things were getting any better.

"You okay?" she asked, coming back over to check on him as he quickly tried to hide the blood on his palm so she wouldn't get worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied, swallowing back the blood in his mouth as he looked past her, and saw that Hazel had something in her hands. "Come on, let's go see what Hazel's up to."

Hobbling off towards their small child companion, Simon looked down at the scarlet that was on his palm, and wiped it off on the T-shirt he wore under his hoodie. Making sure the stain wouldn't be noticed by Grace later, and coming up to Hazel as she held out a piece of seaweed.

"We made a new friend," she said, holding the seaweed out for them to look at. "His name's Louis. He's a good sort, but he's barking mad."

"What a coincidence," Grace said, putting on an almost sickeningly sweet tone as she looked to Simon with a smirk, and put on a fake smile when she redirected her attention to Hazel. "We have a friend named Louis in the Apex."

"The Apex is the country where you're from?" Hazel asked, looking curious as to what they were talking about because they hadn't really elaborated on what the Apex was since they left the Jungle Car.

"The Apex isn't a place. It's a special, secret force of kids," Simon corrected.

"Yeah, that's right. And as Apex, we fight for our rights as passengers, because an evil little robot named One-One has taken over the train," Grace said.

"A evil robot?" Hazel asked, enthralled by the teens' tale as Simon smirked.

"Yep. You see, the true conductor was a man who wore a big black helmet with a red wave on it," he said.

"He has the highest number in the world. And even saved my life once," Grace continued as Hazel looked at them in awe. "So, we wear the red waves on our faces to honor him. He built the train for humans."

"But no one knows where the real conductor is now. And One-One's been trying to get rid of all the humans on the train," Simon said, trying to cross his arms in front of his chest to look cool, but it just ended up looking awkward because of the crutches. "Ever since he took over, kids have been disappearing once their numbers go down."

Hearing a frightened gasp leave Hazel's mouth, Simon and Grace looked at each other know they had her right where they wanted her as she stamped her foot, and claimed that she hated One-One.

"Where do the children go?" Tuba asked.

"No one knows," Simon said, giving a nonchalant shrug, and grimacing at the pain just doing that caused as he tried not to grip his shoulder because he knew he would drop his crutch, and he'd be stuck trying to pick it back up. Looking back over at Grace, and giving her a look to tell her she could take over with the talking as he waited for the pain to pass.

"But I have the highest number. Just like the true conductor did," she continued, looking over at Simon as he shifted around to try and find a more comfortable position on his crutches while she knelt down to meet Hazel's eyes. "So I'm the leader of the Apex. I make sure everyone's number stays high."

"Can I be in it?" Hazel asked, bouncing up and down in excitement as she turned to Tuba.

"Mmm," Tuba groaned, unsure how to respond because she didn't want to hurt Hazel's feelings by telling he she couldn't join, while at the same time not wanting to let her go off alone with the other two.

"Hmm. Well, Apex kids are all really special, and really brave," Grace said, humming suspiciously as Hazel bounced with excitement and let out a giggle of anticipation as she stood up again. "Yeah, maybe someday."

"Someday," she whispered, watching Grace walk back over to Simon as he grimaced.

"Si, are you sure you're okay?" she asked, seeing him shift around and try to hide that he was in pain. "Because I can just carry you on my back if you want. It's not that big of a deal."

"Grace, you really don't have to do that," he said, hobbling after Hazel and Tuba on his crutches as she walked alongside him. "Just because I'm hurt doesn't mean I'm useless."

"I'm not saying that," she said. "I just don't want you to push yourself if you're in this much pain. If you need to stop and take a break, we can."

"Yeah, no thanks. Last thing I want to do is leave the Apex unattended any longer than we have to," he said, hearing his crutch snap, and letting out a startled gasp as he fell, only to quickly follow it up with a pained cry when he stupidly put his full weight on his injured foot, and landed hard on his injured ribs. His vision blurring from the pain, and tears as he pushed himself back up and bit down hard on the inside of his cheek again so he wouldn't accidentally teach Hazel a new word.

"Are you okay?" Hazel asked, getting him to look up at her and Tuba as Grace knelt down to see if he was okay.

"I'll be fine," he said. Biting back a pained grunt as Grace helped him back to his feet.

"Do you want Tuba to carry you?" she asked.

"No thanks!"

"I got him, Hazel," Grace said, wrapping Simon's arm back around her shoulder, and feeling him lean up against her as she wrapped her arm around his waist, and helped him towards the door as it opened to let them out of the car. The two of them going up ahead of them as Hazel and Tuba followed behind them, Grace hearing Hazel whisper something to Tuba before the gorilla started singing.

"Don't be a worry, baby. No need to hurry, baby. When you're with me."

"Just take it easy-peasy, my little lemon squeeze-y. 'Cause you're with me."

"That's cute," Grace commented, turning back see Hazel hopping out of Tuba's arms.

"Tuba used to sing it to her kids," she said. "But I added the easy-peasy part."

"Kids, huh?" Simon said. "So you're probably going to need to head back to them at some point?"

"No...I am on my own now," Tuba said with a pained expression as Hazel pouted.

"Nuh-uh. You're with us," she said, giving Tuba a hug as her expression softened into a warm smile.

"Of course," she said, seeing Grace and Simon open the door to the next car, and step into a ballroom of a bunch of tentacled creatures dancing in a sort of waltz as the pair headed for the stairs in hopes of just walking across the car without much of a hassle before they heard a voice give out a firm 'Stop!' from above. Everyone looking up to see the chandelier making its way toward them as Grace and Simon took on a fighting stance, and Tuba picked up Hazel in an effort to shield her as the crystal fixture stopped in front of them, and seemingly pointed a 'finger' at them.

"Stop right there. What do you think you're doing?"

"Think you can get to higher ground?" Simon said, seeing Grace open her mouth to respond before the chandelier got up into her face, and seemed to look her over with it's crystal head.

"You're not even dressed. I can't present you in such a state. And where are your escorts?"

"We don't need escorts," Grace said, jerking her arm away from the light fixture, and taking a step back. "Where's the exit?"

"The exit only makes itself seen to those who've entered society. You must have a debut. Procedures must be followed," the chandelier continued before letting out a sigh, and holding it's 'arm' to what they could assume was his chest. "I'll take you to the Cotillion Room to learn the waltz."

Seeing the chandelier throw a golden orb down by their feet, the group watched as the orb seemingly caught fire before their eyes before shifting into a somewhat humanoid figure that seemed to be all gold aside from the cream shirt, and purple blazer adorning it's torso. Grace and Simon both giving each other a look as the butler told them to follow him; going up the stairs to lead them to the Cotillion Room, with Hazel and Tuba following it as Grace and Simon just stood at the landing between the floors.

"What now?" Simon asked, hearing Grace let out a disgruntled groan as she stretched, and blow out a raspberry through her lips as she put her head down to think, and slouched a bit in defeat.

"We'll play along, for Hazel's sake," she said, hearing him let out an annoyed groan at the thought of having to play by the rules again as she helped him up the stairs, and caught up with Tuba and Hazel. Half listening to the butler talk about the former debutants whose pictures were on the wall beside them, and giving off a half-hearted reply as they got to the Cotillion Room.

"Well, here we are. I'll be back to collect you all later. So follow the feet, learn the steps. No mistakes, or you'll be trapped here forever," he said, giving off a chuckle before he pushed Grace and Simon into the room, and slamming the doors behind him as Grace let go of Simon, and ran back towards the doors.

"Hey! You can't leave us in here!" she yelled, pounding on the door with her fists, and trying to get the doors open again.

"This is what happens when we play by train rules," Simon said, trying to keep his balance, and not put weight on his foot again as Grace sighed, and turned back to look at them. Looking up at the ceiling, and coming back over to them as she held a finger to her chin in thought.

"Ceiling panels might budge. I'll take lead, you go and-"

"Let's learn the dance," Hazel said, making Grace put on a face, almost sickeningly sweet smile again to hide that she was getting annoyed, and come over to her.

"Hazel," she said, squishing the child's face in her hand as she bent down to Hazel's level again. "You're so sweet. But here's the thing about life on the train-"

"It is smart to try. What we know can work," Tuba said, seeing Grace give her a grin that was one of those 'I'm trying really hard to be polite, but you're making it really difficult' ones as she hummed.

"Thanks for the input. But-"

"If we don't dance, we can't get back to the Apex. And we have to. So I can be in it!" Hazel said, gripping the hem of her sweater vest in her hands nervously as she spoke, and bowing her head slightly so her wild blonde hair fell across her face. "I can be special and brave. I promise."

"Alright," Grace said, letting out a reluctant sigh since she really did not want to be doing this, and turning back to Simon as she straightened up. "We'll cover our bases. One of us goes up into the vents to find a way out, and one of us learns the dance."

"I don't like this, Grace. These nulls are a bigger threat than they seem," he said.

"They always are," she said, shooting a look towards Tuba as she said it before looking back at him. "You going to be okay with that foot of yours while you learn the dance?"

"I'd rather go up into the vents," he said, limping over towards one of the pillars as Grace caught up to him.

"Not this time, socks-with-sandals. You've already hurt yourself enough," she said, trying to pull him back towards Hazel as he pulled his arm back.

"Grace, come on. I'll be fine," he said. "You know climbing and running on walls is more my thing than yours."

"And I don't want you doing something to make your foot worse," she said as he shed his harpoon pack, and started climbing up one of the pillars anyway. "Simon!"

Crawling into the vents before Grace could try to climb up after him, Simon winced as soon as he was out of sight, and laid down on the floor to heed Grace's advice and take a break. Holding his side tightly as his ribs throbbed, and waiting for the pain to get to a more manageable level as he took the chance to look around; seeing nothing but an endless black void that was so dark, he probably wouldn't have been able to see his hand in front of his face if it weren't for the lights coming in from the room below. Another harsh cough escaping his lips as his mouth once again grew into a more metallic taste; his stomach almost lurching at the taste as he held back a heave, and forcefully swallowed back the bile that had tried to come up as he reached into his pack to pull out another tissue to get the blood off his tongue. Half listening to Grace and Hazel's conversation below him as he tried to soldier on, and find a way out. But there wasn't really much he could find other than the the floor of the vent that just gave him the reassurance that he wasn't just going to plummet to his demise again like he had almost done a few days ago. 

"Head back, soldier," he said out loud himself, almost remembering his grandfather's voice when he said it, and turning around to start heading back as he looked down into the Cotillion room to see Hazel grab Grace's hand.

"It's okay, I don't know that many kids either," she said, giving Grace a smile as Simon crawled out of the vent, and fell to the floor. Turning his body in midair in an effort to avoid obtaining any further injury to his foot, and landing hard on his back; feeling the wind get knocked out of him as his head smacked against the floor, and his vision went black for what felt like a few minutes to him before he was awoken by Grace's voice calling out to him.

"Simon!" she yelled, grabbing him by the front of his hoodie, and trying her best not to shake him around too hard after his landing. "Simon, wake up!"

Letting out a tired groan as he opened his eyes, Simon sat up, and brought his hand up to hold the back of his head where it had smacked against the floor; feeling the warmth of Grace's gloved hands on his shoulders as he took a few minutes to try and remember what he had just done because his head was swimming so much.

"Simon, are you okay?" Grace asked, not really doing much to hide the concern on her face since he had taken a pretty hard landing. "This is exactly why I didn't want you going up there."

"I tried to find a way out," he said, still holding the back of his head as he turned his head to look at her. "Grace, there's literally nothing out there. It's just a black void."

"Screw the void," she said. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he said, getting back up to his feet as she stood up too, and grabbed onto her again so he wasn't on his foot. "But we need to find a way out of here."

"Okay, let me think," she said, looking around to try and find another solution to their problem before she looked down at Hazel again, and saw the little girl give her a knowing smirk before she turned back to him. "Well, it seems the dance is our obvious option right now."

"But-" he started.

"And if it doesn't get us to the exit, then we'll make them regret they ever met us," she said, seeing him swallow nervously at the seriousness of her tone before she gave him a warm smile to get him to relax a bit as she held out her other hand. "So be my partner already."

"Like I have much of a choice?" he said, trying to hide the blush on his face as he shifted his stance a bit so his foot was lined up with one of the prints on the floor, and hesitantly put his other foot down so he had a bit more balance as another pained hiss escaped from his lips. "Ow..."

"You want me to-"

"No," he said, shifting his weight again, and feeling Hazel readjust his posture as he let out a reluctant sigh, and followed the steps. A small smile spreading across his face as they danced, and feeling a slight blush come across his cheeks again as he looked up at Grace's face to see her giving him a warm and reassuring smile. "You know, we're not half bad at this. Must be all the drills we run together."

"Sure, what's a little box step when you've taken the head off a six foot vulture together," she said, giving a playful roll of her eyes to try and keep the mood light as they finished the dance, and saw the blue printed footsteps on the floor seemingly burst into flames as they brought their arms up to shield their eyes from the sudden flames as they dissipated, and the butler returned to open the doors.

"It's time my lovelies," he said, ushering the group out of the Cotillion Room, and into a different room to get dressed before the found themselves back at the top of the stairs above the ballroom. Simon still leaning up against Grace as he noticed the blood start to seep through his bandages, and seeing Hazel grab onto his friend's hand with a reassuring smile on her face before the chandelier spoke up again.

"I present to you as they entre into society: The Mighty Tuba, Hazel Last-Name-Unknown, Simon Laurent, and Grace Monroe," he said, making Simon look back over at Grace as she gave him a smile, and helped him down the stairs. Letting go of him to give a quick bow as he crossed his arms, and turned away to try and make it more obvious that he really did not want to be here. "And now, the couples will take their first dance together."

Taking Grace's hand as the music switched out to something a little more upbeat, Simon grimaced as he put his injured foot back down onto the floor, and tried his best to soldier on through the pain as they danced; the small, almost warm smile had had back up in the Cotillion Room quickly being replaced by a pained smile as he tried to hide the fact that he was not having fun anymore as he spun Grace away from him, and pulled her back towards him to dip her. Looking back over at Hazel and Tuba to see Hazel just kind of jumping around while Tuba held her hands while they spun in a circle, and end their dance with Tuba standing still, and letting Hazel run around in circles giggling as the song ended. The tentacle creatures applauding and moving to the side as the curtains parted, and revealed the exit.

"Finally," Simon said, almost letting out a sigh of relief as Grace helped him get his jacket off, and took off her dress as Tuba and Hazel shed their formal attire, and made their way towards the door.

"Woohoo! We did it!" Hazel cheered, running over to them with a smile on her face as Grace knelt down to her level again.

"You did it, Hazel. We never would have learned the dance without you," she said, taking the top hat off of Hazel's head, and tossing it carelessly to the side as it sailed past Tuba's face. "You know, Simon. I think she's ready."

Taking her lipstick out of the fanny pack on her hip, Grace took the cap off of it and drew a red wave across Hazel's face. Seeing Hazel's face light up as she spoke.

"Congratulations. You're Apex now," she said.

"I was brave?" Hazel said, the smile on her face brightening as Grace nodded, and let her hair down. Running back over happily, and climbing up onto her back as Simon came over to join them. "Now Tuba!"

"Oh, man. We totally would, but the red waves are for kids only," Simon said, grabbing onto Grace again as Hazel's happy smile faltered. "Are you a kid, Tuba?"

"No," Tuba said, looking annoyed because she still didn't trust them. "I'm not a kid."

"See? She's not a kid, so we can't," Grace said, wrapping her arm around Simon again, and helping him towards the door as Hazel hopped down from Tuba's shoulder, and ran up ahead of them to open it. Giggling happily as she did a cartwheel, and ran up ahead of them saying that being Apex was fun as Simon grimaced, and leaned away from her to grab onto the bar of the bridge again. "Simon, you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, not really trying to hide that he was lying as he started coughing again. His stomach tightening, and sending up bile like it had done back in the vents at the other car, making him swallow quickly in an effort to hold it back as she tucked his hair out of his face to keep it out of the line of fire. "I'm fine...You go up ahead with Hazel, I'll catch up in a minute."

"Simon-" Grace started.

"You go," Tuba said, standing by as Simon coughed again. "I'll stay."

"No tha-"

"Grace, just go," Simon said, not wanting his friend to be around when he inevitably had to spit out the blood from his chest as his shoulders heaved with each breath he took. "I'll be okay."

"Alright," she relented, giving him one last reassuring squeeze of the shoulder before she looked back up at Tuba. "Be careful with him."

Placing a hand on Simon's back as Grace ran up ahead to catch up with Hazel, Tuba ran her fingers down the white fabric of his hoodie, and watched with concern as Simon's coughs grew thick; his body tensing up as he finally allowed himself to throw up, and saw a good deal of scarlet mixed in with the yellow bile as he coughed again, and tried to catch his breath. Looking up at her with tired eyes as his chest rose and fell in almost exaggerated movements as he tried to catch his breath.

"Don't...Don't tell Grace..." he said, feeling Tuba pick him up by the back of his hoodie, and awkwardly cradle him on one arm as she moved to catch up to the others.

"Rest," she said. "I'll carry you."

"I don't need any help," he said, trying to stay awake because he hadn't really realized just how much of his energy had been taken out of him by trying to bear through the pain he was in.

"I know," Tuba said, moving along the bridge as he allowed himself to shut his eyes for a bit.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ah!"

"Simon, hold still," Grace ordered, seeing Simon look away from her as she went to change out the bandages on his foot again while Hazel and Tuba played in the snow. Unwrapping his foot, and seeing that the skin surrounding his wound was beginning to darken before she heard Simon let out another cough, and looked back up at him to see him lean his head against the tree they had stopped in front off as she removed her glove, and pressed it to his forehead. "You're burning up, socks-with-sandals."

"Am I?" he asked. "I've been so focused on getting back to the Apex, I haven't noticed."

"Don't try to joke around now," she said, ripping off another piece of her shirt, and replacing the piece she had used yesterday to pack the wound as she rewrapped his foot, and helped him back up. "We need to find shelter."

"Heads up!" Hazel called, zooming past the two teens on Tuba's back as they romped through the snow. Tuba taking a mighty leap forward and hurling herself onto her back as Hazel flew through the air, and let out a squeal as they landed in the snow. The two of them laughing joyfully as Simon broke away from Grace's hold to do a goofy little march to try and keep his blood moving.

"Everyone, keep your bodies moving," he instructed, looking back over at Grace as she looked at him like he was an idiot. "It may not be flashy. But frostbite is just as deadly as lava moles, or bottomless pits."

"Simon," Grace said, trying to get him to stop before he hurt himself, but he just went and hobbled on ahead as Tuba and Hazel got up.

"And the best way to keep the circulation going is..." he said, making a snowball, and throwing it at them; hitting Grace on the top of the head as she tried to shield herself, and making her laugh as he chuckled, and reached down to grab more snow. Trying to keep the mood light to assure Grace he was going to be okay, and not let Hazel see that he was getting sick. "Better watch out, Hazel!"

"No, you watch out!" she shouted, making her own snowball as Tuba turned to shield her and Grace with her body as he threw more snowballs. Pelting Tuba on the bicep as the girls laughed, and Grace egged Hazel on to try and hit him with the snowball in her hand as they stood around laughing.

"Take this!" he yelled, throwing more snowballs as Hazel let out a playful squeal, and turned to Grace.

"We need backup! He's going to out snow-He's gonna hit us," she said, seeing Grace try and fail to make her own snowball as a frustrated growl left her lips.

"Ugh, it's not holding," she said as Simon threw another snowball.

"You have to warm the snow with your hands first. Your real hands," Hazel said.

"Of course. What would I do without you?" she asked, taking the snowball from Hazel's hand.

"You would die, until you're dead," she said, holding her hand out expectantly as Grace gave her back the snowball, and went to remove her glove. Stuffing it into her bag, and making her own snowball as Hazel chucked hers.

"Watch this," she said, running up ahead, and throwing her snowball hard in Simon's direction before she noticed that her number was lower than it was before. Her eyes scanning the glowing green numbers curiously as she tried to figure out what she could have done to make her number drop like this as Hazel threw another snowball, and got hit in the face by the one Simon threw; falling onto her back into the snow, and looking up at Grace in a stunned silence before another happy smile broke out across her face, and she started giggling again. Grace laughing right along with her as she knelt down, and helped her back up; seeing her number drop even lower as Hazel called out to Tuba. Telling her they needed the 'Big One' as Grace looked at her numbers to try and figure out what was making them drop as Tuba made a giant snowball, and threw it in Simon's direction as he dropped the snowball he had been making, and ran towards them.

"Wait! Armistice! Armistice!" he called out, seeing the snowball start to come down, and bringing his arms up to shield himself as it came crashing down on top of him hard enough to knock him off his feet. His head swimming for a good few minutes as Grace called out to him again, and pulled him up from under his snowy prison as Hazel's happy smile turned into a look of concern as he groaned, and turned to Tuba in annoyance. "Armistice means no more snowballs."

"I know," she said, ruffling his hair with a giant hand to brush the snow from his blond locks as he grumbled. Batting her hand away, and fixing his now disheveled hair as Grace pulled her glove back on, and noticed that it started to snow pretty heavily in the car.

"The snow's probably going to get worse," he said, looking over at Grace as she continued to look down at her arm. "What's the plan?"

"There's a cabin!" Hazel said, pointing to a cabin off in the distance as Simon looked back at Grace.

"Grace?" he said, trying to grab her attention again as she seemed to be lost in her own little world. "Grace?"

"Huh?" she asked, coming back to reality and quickly realizing that she had spaced out. "Oh, yeah. Uh...Let's head to the cabin."

Wrapping Simon's arm around her shoulders again to give him a hand, Grace wrapped her arm around his waist, and helped him along. Seeing the snow quickly start turning into a 'white out' where it was coming down so hard that she could barely make out Tuba's form through the curtain of snowflakes.

"You okay?" he asked, getting her to look over at him to see that he was concerned. "You were kind of spaced out earlier."

"I'll be fine," she said, trying to keep moving so they wouldn't lose sight of Tuba and Hazel as the 'sun' started setting in the car. "Better off than you anyway."

"Oof, I'm hurt," he said, holding a hand to his chest in mock hurt before he let out a wince of actual pain when he put weight down on his bad foot by mistake. "Ouch."

"You need me to have Tuba carry you again?" she asked.

"No, she probably has her hands full with Hazel," he said, trudging through the snow beside her before his half-hearted hops were quickly replaced by Grace practically having to drag him because the snow was getting so deep, and piling up on top of them. "You should probably go on ahead."

"Simon, I am not leaving you out here," she said, pulling him along as he tried to keep up with her. But he could already feel the frostbite setting in as the sky in the car got darker. Making it to the cabin just as night fell, and separating from each other to open the doors to let Tuba and Hazel in first before following behind them, and closing the doors again to keep the cold out. The warmth from the fireplace being a welcomed sight as they brushed the snow off their clothes and hair, with Tuba shaking herself off, and flinging snow everywhere around the cabin as someone tutted their tongue.

"First vacation in a hundred and fifty year, and I have to deal with tourists," The Cat said as Grace finished brushing herself off, and spotted her.

"You again?" she asked.

"Grace," The Cat growled, sauntering up in a purple robe as Simon hobbled over while still brushing the snow off of his hood. "Raiding my business isn't enough for...Simon?"

"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned, not really having the energy to want to deal with the feline con-artist as The Cat smiled, and held a paw to her chest.

"Well, I guess you can stay for a bit," she said, putting on a more welcoming tone as Simon turned and started limping back towards the door.

"We have to go," he said through gritted teeth.

"We just got here," Grace said to him.

"We are not staying here," he snapped, opening the door to leave, and seeing that the snow had piled up to the bridge of his nose before he slammed the door shut again in frustration.

"Snow day!" Hazel cheered, throwing up both hands in victory as Grace walked over to Simon before he started kicking the door.

"Hey," she said, getting his attention, and ushering him away from the door as he turned his head away from her, and refused to meet her eyes. "Simon, I know you don't like being around her. But the snow's too heavy, and you're too sick. We have to hunker down."

"And stay here with her?" he asked, pointing in the vague direction of The Cat.

"It's just for a couple of days," she assured, looking back down at his foot to see that he was starting to bleed through his bandages. "Why don't you sit down? I'll go look for a first-aid kit so we can take care of your foot _properly_ this time."

"This sucks," he complained, holding onto her as she helped him over to the couch, and laid him down.

"You'll survive," she said, propping his injured foot up on a pillow, and going off to find a first aid kit as The Cat came over to him.

"Go away," he groaned, throwing an arm lazily over his eyes to block out some of the light as The Cat jumped up onto the couch with him, and walked down his good leg to examine his foot.

"Oh, Simon. What did you do to your foot?" she asked.

"Fell off a bridge trying to escape One-One. Damn near wheeled myself," he said, moving his arm to look down at her. "Not like you'd care of course. You left me to nearly get eaten by a Ghom when I was ten."

"Are you still hung up on that?" The Cat asked, fixing her robe with her paw. "How long ago was that again? Six? Seven years? Surely you would have gotten over it by now."

"Again, you abandoned me to be Ghom food. Kind of hard to get over that when you're supposed to be my companion and help me get off this damn thng," he said, trying to keep his voice low so Hazel wouldn't hear them as a bear stepped out of the kitchen wearing the same purple robe as The Cat, holding a frying pan and spatula in his paws.

"Hey, I'm making pancakes. You kids got any allergies?"

"Not now, Frank," The Cat called.

"Okay," Frank said, awkwardly stepping back into the kitchen as Simon looked down at the feline in confusion.

"You walked into _my_ cabin," she said, turning her nose up to him as Grace grabbed her by the scruff of her neck to move her off of Simon, and sat down with the first-aid kit. Unwrapping Simon's foot again, and making sure to clean out the wound thoroughly enough before she swapped out the piece of torn shirt with a wad of gauze. The Cat tutting her tongue in disappointment and concern as she examined the injury for herself while Grace rewrapped his foot. "Simon, this wound is far too severe for you to be doing any sort of traveling on. How long have you had that?"

"That's none of your business," he said, breaking into another coughing fit as Grace took her glove off again, and checked his forehead as he cleared his throat and tried not to let Hazel and Tuba see that most of the color had drained from his face.

"Oh, Simon. That cough sounds awful," The Cat mewled, seeing Simon shoot her a death glare as she sauntered off towards the small little water fountain at the far end of the room where Hazel and Tuba were playing with it, and turned back to look at Grace. "There should be a spare bedroom upstairs if you want to keep him there. It'll be better than keeping him on the couch."

"Thank you," Grace said, packing the first-aid kit into her fanny pack, and helping Simon to his feet to take him upstairs. Hearing his ragged and strained breathing with every step as he started to lean more heavily against her; his free hand coming up to smack himself in the face to try and stay awake as she pushed it away, and helped him into the spare room, only for him to break away and bolt into the bathroom to throw up. Grace following right behind him to get the harpoon pack off his back, and comfort him as he kept his face buried in the porcelain bowl with his arms shielding the sides of his head almost as if he was trying to keep her from seeing his vomit. "You doing okay there, General?"

"Ugh..."

"You know, you should probably take this as a sign that you should take a break," she continued, taking his hair tie out, and running her fingers through the golden strands as he heaved. "I know you want to act all tough. But even the strongest of soldiers need to take a break once in a while."

"Mm..."

"What? No witty retort this time?" she asked, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, and glancing into the toilet to see the hint of scarlet tinging his vomit as he coughed, and spat out more bloody sputum. "Simon?"

Seeing Simon start to tilt sideways, Grace shot her arms out, and wrapped them tightly around her second-in-command's waist as she lowered him to the ground. Glancing into the toilet to see that there was a lot more blood than she had realized, with more still running down the corner of Simon's mouth as he choked and struggled to breathe.

"Simon!" she shouted, trying to move Simon onto his side as he coughed out more blood onto the linoleum tiles. "Simon..."

"Grace..." he said, seeing his vision start to blur as Grace moved his hair away from his face, and gasping for air as he felt a cold sweat break out across his skin. "Don't...Don't let Hazel..."

"Quit talking already," she said, trying to help him back up as he started coughing again, and returned to the toilet to spit out the blood from his mouth. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Since...Jungle Car..." he mumbled, clearing his throat, and trying to keep his thoughts coherent as he spat out more blood. "Didn't want...you getting worried."

"I knew I should have just taken you to the Hospital Car," she said, hearing him let out a choking cough as she rubbed his back.

"And get help...from nulls?" he asked, almost leaning up against her, he was so spent from expelling the blood. "No thanks..."

"Would've rather set aside our prejudice, and gotten help from nulls than let you get to this point," she said, hearing him let out another cough, and looking down to see that he had accidentally gotten blood on her shirt. "Think you can stand so I can move you back to the bed?"

"I...need minute..." he breathed, resting his head up against her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Alright," she said, trying to stay calm for both his and Hazel's sake since they needed someone to keep a level head as she watched his eyes start to slip shut. "Take all the time you need. I'll be right here."

Seeing Simon close his eyes to rest, Grace took a shaking breath, and tried her best not to let her eyes tear up as she sat with him on the floor; keeping her hand on his chest, and feeling it rise and fall with each breath he took as she pulled him back up to his feet, and dragged him back into the bedroom. Setting him down on the bed, and propping his injured foot up onto a pillow as he stirred, his eyes twitching like he was going to wake up as she turned on the bedside lamp, only for him to let out a sigh, and fall back to sleep as she helped him out of his hoodie, and saw the blood stain that was haphazardly wiped off on his undershirt before removing that as well; her breath catching in her throat when she saw that most of the pale ivory skin on Simon's chest had turned a dark shade of purple, with his ribs obviously looking more broken than bruised like he had claimed a few days ago.

"Why did I even take your word for this?" she asked, looking down at his sleeping form as she tucked him in. Being careful around ribcage, and making sure he would be warm enough as The Cat appeared in the doorway.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's fine," she lied, pressing her gloved hand up against Simon's sweaty forehead again as he breathed. "Do you have any other medical supplies here? I don't think what we have is going to really last that long, given his foot."

"I'll see what I can find," The Cat said, walking off to see what else she had in store as Grace walked back into the bathroom. Searching underneath the sink, and finding a washcloth to put on Simon's head as she tried her best not to look at the blood in the toilet bowl as she flushed it. Running the washcloth under the cold water coming out of the tap, and wringing out the excess as Simon started to stir again. A pained whimper leaving his lips as Grace grabbed the trashcan out of the bathroom in case he got sick again, and brought it back out with her to the other room as he opened his eyes.

"Grace..." he said. "I'm sorry."

"Get some rest, Si," she said, placing the cool cloth on his forehead. "We'll talk about this later."

Seeing Simon close his eyes again, Grace sighed, and laid down next to him on the bed. Watching as his chest rose and fell evenly, and silently as she choked back a sob and kept trying to tell herself that Simon would be okay. That he'd make it back to the Apex, and be fine after a few days of badly needed bedrest. But no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't seem to convince herself that Simon would be returning with her to the Mall alive.

"What am I going to do with you, Simon?" she asked, taking his hand into hers as she started to fall asleep too. 


	5. Chapter 5

Grace wasn't too sure what was going on when she woke up at first. In all honesty, it kind of took her a moment to remember where she was seeing as how the bedroom in the cabin was a far cry from her room at the Mall; but it slowly started to come back to her eventually when she saw Simon sleeping beside her with a slight reddish hue across the bridge of his nose, and sweating profusely as she took notice to the audible gurgling and wheezing noises coming from his chest every time he breathed.

"Simon?" she said, getting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes before she heard Simon let out a choking cough, and saw a drop of blood slide down the corner of his mouth. Jumping up from the bed, and quickly helping him onto his side as he coughed again, and spat out more blood into the trashcan beside the bed. "God, Si. You scared me."

"Good to know..." he said, coughing again, and spitting out more blood from his mouth before he moved away from the trashcan to lay back down. Propping himself up against the headboard of the bed as Grace put another pillow behind his back to make sure he was comfortable, and removed her glove again to check his forehead. His warm and sweaty skin noticeably a lot warmer than it was earlier as he swallowed thickly, and cleared his throat. "Where's Hazel?"

"Probably downstairs with The Cat. Haven't really had much of a chance to check on them," she said, moving his hair off his face as he brought his hand over to hold his broken ribs, and tried his best to keep his breathing even as she sat down on the end of the bed with him. "Simon, what the hell were you thinking hiding this from me?"

"Didn't-*cough*-Didn't want you to worry..." he croaked, clearing his throat as Grace picked up the washcloth from the floor, and wiped off the blood as it dribbled down his chin. "Ha...Hazel's more important."

"Hazel's not the one with internal bleeding and an injured foot, dumbass," she said.

"Been through worse..." he mumbled. "'Sides...y'know I hate hospitals..."

"Doesn't mean you had to try and hide that you were dying," she said, seeing him bury his mouth into the crook of his elbow to cover another cough before she brought the trashcan up, and set it on his lap so he didn't have to try and move around so much just to spit out his own blood. "Seriously, when were you going to let me know about the whole coughing blood thing?"

"All honesty...probably after we...got back to the Mall..." he admitted, spitting out the blood from his mouth. "If I'd managed...to make it that far."

"You seriously wanted to die back at the Mall?" she asked.

"Mall pharmacy...has pain meds..." he said, spitting out more blood into the trashcan. "Would've gone...a bit easier.

"You're an idiot," she stated, wiping off his chin again as he hugged the trashcan to his chest, and bit back a heave as she checked his foot again, and saw that the bandages were starting to be stained with a sort of yellow tinged fluid as she got up to change them again. Only to feel Simon grab onto her wrist to keep her by him.

"Don't bother..." he said, clearing his throat. "Infection's...already setting in. It...It won't be long now."

"Quit talking like that," she said. "Surely The Cat has to have some sort of medicine lying around here somewhere."

"Not...Not going to...do anything..." he breathed, leaning his head back in exhaustion as Grace put her hand back on his forehead. "St-*cough*-Stay with me...Please..."

"Alright," she said, sitting down on the empty side of the bed again as his head lolled to the side, and came to rest on her shoulder again as she brought her hand up to card her glowing green fingers through his hair as she moved the trashcan beside her. "I'll be right here until you fall back to sleep."

"Thank you..." he breathed, coughing again, and grabbing the trashcan to spit out the blood from his mouth before he cleared his throat again. "Hey...What was...what was going on...with you earlier? You...You were...kind of...spaced out back-*gulp*-back in the snow, and...and kept...looking down...at your arm."

"Simon, it's really nothing to worry about," she said, running her fingers down his back, and noticing how quick and short his breaths were as she brought her hand back up to play with his hair, and keep it off his face. Hearing him let out a sigh of contentment since he almost always enjoyed having someone play with his hair, and seeing his eyes start to close again before he caught a glimpse of her arm, and saw her number.

"Your...Your number..." he said, biting back a wince as Grace put her glove back on to cover it. "It...It went down..."

"Simon," she started.

"How long-*cough cough*-How long has it...been like that?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, continuing to run her fingers through his hair to try and distract herself from the fact that her second-in-command was dying in her arms as Simon reached for the trashcan, and brought it back over to him to spit out the blood in his mouth. "But let's not focus on that now. We need to focus on getting you out of here so you can get better."

"Grace..." he wheezed. "There's...There's no point...Too far gone..."

"Don't say that," she said. "You just said so yourself, you've been through worse. And if you can survive almost getting eaten by a Ghom, you can pull through this."

"Lost-*gulp*-Lost too...too much blood..." he breathed. "Not...Not going to make it..."

"Simon," she said, hearing him let out another choking cough, and pulling his hair out of the way as the crimson practically sprayed out of his mouth and into the plastic lined wicker basket on his lap. 

"Grace," he said, spitting out more blood as her sight started to blur with tears. "C-Can you...d-*gasp*-do me...a favor...After you...get back?"

"Of course," she said, tucking his hair behind his ear as his breaths started to quiver, and his own tears started running down his face and mixing in with the sweat.

"When...When you...get your number...down to zero, and...and you...get off the train...Can you...Can you go...visit my family?" he asked, letting out another cough as Grace ran her fingers down his back. "I don't...I don't know...whether my parents...will care. But...it'll be better...than having...them sitting...by the door...waiting for me."

"Alright," she said, burying her nose into his hair as his breath hitched in a sob. "Okay, I'll do that."

"Grace?" Hazel said, making Grace quickly wipe the blood off of Simon's face, and hide the trashcan before they looked over to see her in the doorway.

"Hazel, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"What's wrong with Simon?" Hazel asked, coming into the room, and crawling into bed with them as Simon covered his mouth and tried to stifle another cough.

"He's just feeling a little sick," Grace said, trying not to let Hazel the tears in her eyes as she ran her hand down Simon's back, and noticed that his breathing was getting weaker. "He'll be okay."

"Does he want me to make him some tea?" she asked.

"Yeah..." Simon said, holding back another cough as Hazel's face softened. "Tea sounds great..."

"Okay, I'll go make some," she said, getting out of the bed, and going back downstairs to make him some tea as Grace gave the trashcan back to him so he could spit the blood out.

"You know, you can't really expect me to hide this from her forever," she said, bringing her hand back up to play with his hair again as he choked.

"She...She also...doesn't need to...see me die..." he said. "Prob...Probably has enough...trauma as it is..."

"You sure you're going to be okay with this?" she asked, wiping her eyes as he exhaled. "You still got time."

"The-*cough cough*-The whole...long...happy life thing...isn't really...my style," he said. "'Sides...highly doubt...anyone back home...will really care."

"Well, I'll care," she said. "So will Hazel, and the rest of the Apex."

"I know..." he said, his eyes drooping shut. "Parents...different story..."

"Get some rest, Simon," she said, swallowing back a lump in her throat so her voice wouldn't crack as he took his final breaths. "I'll be right here."

Seeing Simon's eyes slip shut, Grace ran her hand down his back again, and let out a shaking breath as she felt Simon take the last of his own. Hugging him tightly against her as his body relaxed before she pulled herself away, and laid him back down. Tucking him in like he was just taking a nap, and pressing a teary kiss to his forehead before going out into the hallway just as The Cat was coming up the stairs; the entire reality of what had just happened hitting her like...Well, a train, as she sat down outside the door.

"Is everything alright?" The Cat asked.

"Simon...Simon's gone," she said, a choked sob escaping her lips as she looked down to try and hide her tears. "He's gone."

"I'll give you a minute," The Cat said, going back downstairs to give Grace a moment, and keep Hazel from coming up as Grace held back a sob, and ran her hands up into her hair in a mix of frustration and anguish. Unsure of which emotion she would allow herself to feel first as she heard the tea kettle go off downstairs, and wiped her eyes off to go downstairs. Not noticing that her number had gone back up under her glove as she walked down the wooden stairs to see Tuba pouring the tea into an orange mug.


End file.
